How does intertextuality contribute to meaning within texts?
Intertextuality adds a layer of understanding the audience must go through in order to truly understand the message/point of the text as a whole. This additional layer is added through another text, and therefore demands an understanding of the two. As a result of incorporating or referencing another text, meaning drawn from one is able to build upon meaning established from the other. Thereby creating a ‘two way street’, in which context from both aid each other in delivering the intended message to the audience.
What is gained and lost through the use of intertextuality?
Mentioned above is what I feel is gained through using intertextual references – an additional layer of understanding, therefore a more in depth perspective into that specific topic of discussion. However, discussing what is lost through the use of intertextuality is a far more interesting perspective. While the usage of intertextuality adds a layer of understanding (as mentioned earlier), at the same time it adds a layer of complexity, in which some audiences are thrown off completely. For example, if a text relied almost entirely on intertextual references in order for the audience to understand the true message behind it, there can be consequences in terms of viewership. In that example, if an audience member does not understand those intertextual references in any shape or form, then they are immediately unable to grasp the intended message behind the original text in the first place.
